The Student Room Group

0F and First Year of Uni to survive?

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm about to start my first year of university, and I wanted to talk about some challenges I'm facing with finances and health.

1)Financial Struggles:
Starting uni is exciting, but I'm a bit worried about my finances. When I added up everything, it seems like I'll only have £300 to cover my expenses from September to January. That's not much at all.
(I will get around £2k from SFE at the end of september then a day after that, I'd have to pay £2k for my uni accom)

2) Parental Contribution:
My student finance was based on my parents' income, but they make less than £25k a year. Even though I wish they could help more, they can't give me extra money.

3) Considering 0F:
I never really thought about using platforms like OnlyFans, but it's starting to feel like a last resort. I do have a small social media following that often requests me to create content there and asks me when I'll make one. However, this decision feels difficult because it wasn't part of my original plan. A part of me doesn't want to do it but another part of me is like I need to do it.

4) Health Challenges:
On top of all this, I have many chronic illnesses that causes a lot of pain. Getting a regular job is tough for me because of this. This is why I took a gap year and managed to save around £1k from working with brands as a small influencer on social media (no adult content or 0F)

5) Additional Support:
I did apply for DSA to get the support I need for my chronic condition, and I'm grateful to have that assistance in place.
I also applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to help with my medical conditions, but unfortunately, I got denied, so will appeal. This makes things even more challenging.

6) Accommodation Costs:
My accommodation costs are £600 per month, and I didn't choose for the cheapest option.I do have to pay for the first semester though which is £2k towards the end of September, as previously stated.

7) I didn't get the maximum loan of £9k either because my parents told me not to tell Student finance about it, because SFE may change their minds and give me less loan then what they've already calculated. The SFE loan does cover my uni accomodation rent so that's positive I guess.

I really don't want to ask my parents for more money. They've already told me they can't give me any starting from September. (I rarely ask for my parents money in general I only asked for university shopping money which they did give me)

I remember that some users, like @Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift, were previously tagged in a previous thread that got removed, not sure why. If any of you could provide some guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this.
(edited 8 months ago)
Original post by yourachel22
Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm about to start my first year of university, and I wanted to talk about some challenges I'm facing with finances and health.

1)Financial Struggles:
Starting uni is exciting, but I'm a bit worried about my finances. When I added up everything, it seems like I'll only have £300 to cover my expenses from September to January. That's not much at all.
(I will get around £2k from SFE at the end of september then a day after that, I'd have to pay £2k for my uni accom)

2) Parental Contribution:
My student finance was based on my parents' income, but they make less than £25k a year. Even though I wish they could help more, they can't give me extra money.

3) Considering 0F:
I never really thought about using platforms like OnlyFans, but it's starting to feel like a last resort. I do have a small social media following that often requests me to create content there and asks me when I'll make one. However, this decision feels difficult because it wasn't part of my original plan. A part of me doesn't want to do it but another part of me is like I need to do it.

4) Health Challenges:
On top of all this, I have many chronic illnesses that causes a lot of pain. Getting a regular job is tough for me because of this. This is why I took a gap year and managed to save around £1k from working with brands as a small influencer on social media (no adult content or 0F)

5) Additional Support:
I did apply for DSA to get the support I need for my chronic condition, and I'm grateful to have that assistance in place.
I also applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to help with my medical conditions, but unfortunately, I got denied, so will appeal. This makes things even more challenging.

6) Accommodation Costs:
My accommodation costs are £600 per month, and I didn't choose for the cheapest option.I do have to pay for the first semester though which is £2k towards the end of September, as previously stated.

7) I didn't get the maximum loan of £9k either because my parents told me not to tell Student finance about it, because SFE may change their minds and give me less loan then what they've already calculated. The SFE loan does cover my uni accomodation rent so that's positive I guess.

I really don't want to ask my parents for more money. They've already told me they can't give me any starting from September. (I rarely ask for my parents money in general I only asked for university shopping money which they did give me)

I remember that some users, like @Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift, were previously tagged in a previous thread that got removed, not sure why. If any of you could provide some guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this.


If your household income is less than £25k then you should be on the maximum maintenance loan. Log in to your SFE account during office hours tomorrow and use the live chat function to raise it with an advisor.
Reply 2
Original post by normaw
If your household income is less than £25k then you should be on the maximum maintenance loan. Log in to your SFE account during office hours tomorrow and use the live chat function to raise it with an advisor.


they gave me £8k instead of £9k, also I will be studying away from home, outside London. I didn't know there was a live chat function on the gov uk site. I'll try that tomorrow thank you.
(edited 8 months ago)
Original post by yourachel22
7) I didn't get the maximum loan of £9k either because my parents told me not to tell Student finance about it, because SFE may change their minds and give me less loan then what they've already calculated. The SFE loan does cover my uni accomodation rent so that's positive I guess.


So, not quite sure what your parents told you not to tell SFE about, but SFE won't "change their minds" unless your financial situation changes and you submit documentation to confirm that. SFE loan entitlements are a fairly mechanical process if you're going to uni for the first time and submit all the required evidence and are a home fees student. It's not a case of someone thinking "hmm does this student deserve more money or not?" - they just go through and see which boxes you tick and give you the entitlement corresponding to that. They won't remove your entitlement for you asking about it?

As above if your household income is below that level you should be getting the maximum loan amount and this is something you should check with them. I would also recommend you check your parents did indeed submit all the required information they needed to submit, as it sounds like they may not fully understand the system and process and their misconceptions may have affected what they did or did not do, which could affect your entitlement. Provided they submitted all the required information and your household income is indeed under that amount I can't see how you'd be getting less than the maximum loan.

Just as an aside, DSA doesn't get paid into your account like SFE loans. It's paid to the university directly to provide the relevant support you need, which will be identified in your needs assessment with the uni's accessibility team when you start.

Also all that said, it's hard to gauge how your financial situation will be based on the information provided. If you're living in catered halls on campus then your outgoing costs will presumably be fairly minimal - although £300 for the term might be a bit tight, since all or most of your meal costs, rent, bills, etc will be covered, and travel costs will be minimal, then that's mostly just personal spending money and ~£100 a month personal spending money (minus a bit for basic stationery costs and travelling home at the end of term) is not unreasonable for a student, I think. If you aren't in catered halls though then yes that's a very tight budget, but as above it sounds like you might be entitled to more anyway.

Also worth checking with your uni if they have any automatically awarded bursaries for students from lower income backgrounds. Usually most unis have some bursaries (which can range from being fairly modest to reasonably substantial) for students getting the maximum or near maximum maintenance loan. These are usually automatically awarded based on your SFE application entitlement and you typically don't need to do much else but worth checking the website to see what you're entitled to and if you need to provide any information to receive it!
(edited 8 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post by yourachel22
Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm about to start my first year of university, and I wanted to talk about some challenges I'm facing with finances and health.

1)Financial Struggles:
Starting uni is exciting, but I'm a bit worried about my finances. When I added up everything, it seems like I'll only have £300 to cover my expenses from September to January. That's not much at all.
(I will get around £2k from SFE at the end of september then a day after that, I'd have to pay £2k for my uni accom)

2) Parental Contribution:
My student finance was based on my parents' income, but they make less than £25k a year. Even though I wish they could help more, they can't give me extra money.

3) Considering 0F:
I never really thought about using platforms like OnlyFans, but it's starting to feel like a last resort. I do have a small social media following that often requests me to create content there and asks me when I'll make one. However, this decision feels difficult because it wasn't part of my original plan. A part of me doesn't want to do it but another part of me is like I need to do it.

4) Health Challenges:
On top of all this, I have many chronic illnesses that causes a lot of pain. Getting a regular job is tough for me because of this. This is why I took a gap year and managed to save around £1k from working with brands as a small influencer on social media (no adult content or 0F)

5) Additional Support:
I did apply for DSA to get the support I need for my chronic condition, and I'm grateful to have that assistance in place.
I also applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to help with my medical conditions, but unfortunately, I got denied, so will appeal. This makes things even more challenging.

6) Accommodation Costs:
My accommodation costs are £600 per month, and I didn't choose for the cheapest option.I do have to pay for the first semester though which is £2k towards the end of September, as previously stated.

7) I didn't get the maximum loan of £9k either because my parents told me not to tell Student finance about it, because SFE may change their minds and give me less loan then what they've already calculated. The SFE loan does cover my uni accomodation rent so that's positive I guess.

I really don't want to ask my parents for more money. They've already told me they can't give me any starting from September. (I rarely ask for my parents money in general I only asked for university shopping money which they did give me)

I remember that some users, like @Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift, were previously tagged in a previous thread that got removed, not sure why. If any of you could provide some guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this.


@Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift
Original post by yourachel22
@Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift

I think @Muttley79 provided some suggestions in a previous thread that was closed due to it being old.
Reply 6
Original post by yourachel22
@Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift


You need to get your SFE re-assessed and maybe see if there is cheaper accommodation?

I think I suggested your parents could give you the money they are saving by not feeding you.
Reply 8
Original post by normaw
If your household income is less than £25k then you should be on the maximum maintenance loan. Log in to your SFE account during office hours tomorrow and use the live chat function to raise it with an advisor.


Hi. I cannot find a live chat function at all on the gov uk SFE log in
Original post by yourachel22
Hi. I cannot find a live chat function at all on the gov uk SFE log in


I suspect they're busy at the moment but keep trying. I've just had a look at my daughter's account. Once logged in click on Undergraduate student finance applications, then click on the box containing the name of your course and uni, on the next page click the Contact us link from the list on the right hand side. A blue Chat with us appears as one of the choices. :smile:
Reply 10
Original post by normaw
I suspect they're busy at the moment but keep trying. I've just had a look at my daughter's account. Once logged in click on Undergraduate student finance applications, then click on the box containing the name of your course and uni, on the next page click the Contact us link from the list on the right hand side. A blue Chat with us appears as one of the choices. :smile:


Thank you! I found it now, after clicking the Contact us. The live chat blue box is at the right bottom part. Thank you so much!
Original post by yourachel22
Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm about to start my first year of university, and I wanted to talk about some challenges I'm facing with finances and health.

1)Financial Struggles:
Starting uni is exciting, but I'm a bit worried about my finances. When I added up everything, it seems like I'll only have £300 to cover my expenses from September to January. That's not much at all.
(I will get around £2k from SFE at the end of september then a day after that, I'd have to pay £2k for my uni accom)

2) Parental Contribution:
My student finance was based on my parents' income, but they make less than £25k a year. Even though I wish they could help more, they can't give me extra money.

3) Considering 0F:
I never really thought about using platforms like OnlyFans, but it's starting to feel like a last resort. I do have a small social media following that often requests me to create content there and asks me when I'll make one. However, this decision feels difficult because it wasn't part of my original plan. A part of me doesn't want to do it but another part of me is like I need to do it.

4) Health Challenges:
On top of all this, I have many chronic illnesses that causes a lot of pain. Getting a regular job is tough for me because of this. This is why I took a gap year and managed to save around £1k from working with brands as a small influencer on social media (no adult content or 0F)

5) Additional Support:
I did apply for DSA to get the support I need for my chronic condition, and I'm grateful to have that assistance in place.
I also applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to help with my medical conditions, but unfortunately, I got denied, so will appeal. This makes things even more challenging.

6) Accommodation Costs:
My accommodation costs are £600 per month, and I didn't choose for the cheapest option.I do have to pay for the first semester though which is £2k towards the end of September, as previously stated.

7) I didn't get the maximum loan of £9k either because my parents told me not to tell Student finance about it, because SFE may change their minds and give me less loan then what they've already calculated. The SFE loan does cover my uni accomodation rent so that's positive I guess.

I really don't want to ask my parents for more money. They've already told me they can't give me any starting from September. (I rarely ask for my parents money in general I only asked for university shopping money which they did give me)

I remember that some users, like @Wired_1800 , @Muttley79, @StriderHort, @Surnia, @Scotney, @Cote1, and @threeportdrift, were previously tagged in a previous thread that got removed, not sure why. If any of you could provide some guidance, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this.

I hope you got this sorted but if things are still really tight talk to your student wellbeing about the hardship fund its there for all students to access who need it, the government have £200 odd million allocated for universities too to help struggling students. Always talk to your university as the first point of call never be embarrassed being a student is hardwork, most of us are skint and for many working and studying at the same time is too much and jeopardises their degree. Hang in there 👍 it'll be worth it in the end.
Hi, I came across this post as I'm interested in a dissertation that could involve online platforms like OF (getting it past an ethics committee however....)

You mention chronic illnesses. Have you applied for Personal Independence Payment?

PIP is a tooth and nail fight. Current turn around is 4 months for new applications, and I suspect most people are being rejected, which means going to tribunal, which is probably 12 months. Most tribunals are successful, and you'll have a 12 month lump sum back payment. I'd advise going to tribunal anyway, because they'd probably up your allowances.

There's a specific process to applying, and it's not the way you're told. In short, before applying, get as much recent medical evidence ready, and write a long letter to accompany the forms. Ask for a specialist in your type of condition at interview, although most assessment interviews are not done in person. The life story letter doesn't have to match the questions on the form. Expect it to be long; make them earn their salary!

I'd advise looking at online support forums for the sort of things people mention in their applications, but try not to get disheartened by the negativity.

It really is a fight, but once you get it, you'll be glad you went through the process. Once you have a foot in the door, you may find your allowances increase over time. Furthermore, once you have PIP you can claim sickness benefits and study at the same time. There's loads of secondary benefits to PIP; bus pass, carer's tickets...

Now, I don't know this for certain, I am speculating. A platform like OF might not earn you very much at all, and cashflow may well be unstable. This may force you to escalate your activities. Sex work is common amongst students, and all sorts of surprising populations, but... I don't want to get bogged down in an argument about morality, etc...

Sadly, sex work on the side appears to be almost the norm nowadays...

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